Currently, pick-up trucks are an extremely common form of vehicular cargo transport. A problem arises, however, when a load being transported is too small or too unstable to safely or conveniently be transported without having to resort to some means of securing the load from either shifting or causing damage to either the load or the vehicle itself.
Many configurations and combinations have been devised to secure transported loads. In general, these devices or methods can be grouped into two categories: devices for cargo selective or cargo specific loads; and, devices affixed to preexisting or permanently added vehicle structures.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,158 to Brockway, an article support apparatus is described wherein suction cups or magnets are utilized for attachment to a vehicle bed wall or trunk lid, and hooks or adjustable straps are utilized to attached to a selective load, namely those loads contained in bag or sack type enclosures. Additionally, the Brockway patent discloses "U" shaped notches to accommodate transporting of garments carried on clothes hangers.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,091 to Beroth the invention comprises a track fastener apparatus and assembly, wherein a locking fastener is received by a fixed length of track, thereby providing a securement point for tieing down or similarly securing shiftable cargo. The preferred embodiment of the Beroth invention anticipates use with aircraft currently utilizing fixed lengths of track for receiving and securing passenger seating assemblies.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,848 to Burnham the invention discloses a partition securement structure for a pick-up truck. In the Beroth invention, clips are affixed to fixed opening means thereby providing points to receive and secure a removable partition. Although the clips and partitions can be removable, the opening means themselves are fixed, and must be manufactured into the structure of the cargo bed or generated by penetrating the cargo bed walls after the vehicle has been manufactured.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,991 to Porter the invention discloses an insertable and removable tie-down anchor for use with pick-up truck cargo beds. Designed to be received into a cavity intended to be used with a support post of a rack, these required cavities are commonly provided in the bed or side wall of a pickup truck. However, the Porter invention is dependent on both the existence and location of these support post cavities for the invention to be useful or effective, and can only secure a cargo if used in conjunction with rope or other similar tie-down means.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,119 to Biles a device is disclosed that will secure pipes or other longitudinally elongated loads to a rack mounted on the bed of a pick-up truck. As in the Porter invention, not only is the Biles invention dependent on the existence of a support post cavity being provided with the vehicle, but also requires that vertical posts and horizontal rack members also be installed on the vehicle. Assuming these prerequisites are available, the Biles invention discloses a device that will secure one end of a tie-down rope by wedging it between a cam locking member and a vertical post, and will secure the other end of the tie-down rope, as well as provide the tension necessary to secure the load, via a jacking unit, also attached to said vertical post.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,660 to Clark a pick-up truck rail assembly and die-down device is disclosed that essentially provides a device to attach to the upper edge of the side walls of the truck bed, thereby providing a continuous source of parallel tie-down points running the complete length of the truck bed.